Vietnam was about the Vietnamese Dong (stay focused, it’s the name of their currency).  It was complicated, approximately 100,000 Dong equals approximately $4.45 US.  Pretty much everyone is a millionaire, if you convert $100.00 US.  Stayed at the Saigon Intercontinental and used my IHG card.  I apparently had “head in ass” because I should have used the Sapphire Reserve for a much better return.  A great way to prevent this is to use thepointsguy.com’s Pay With This feature, which I have, but still didn’t use, duh! The bill, 9,986,ooo VND.  When was the last time you spent almost 10 million on a hotel stay?  I did use the Sapphire Reserve on meals etc…So bring on the Points!

Welcome to Cambodia! Don’t bother with changing your money here.  They want the US Dollar just as it is.  Hotels, restaurants and stores, everything is listed in the USD.  It’s…comfortably weird.

Last night, I needed ibuprofen and chocolate, as beer gives me a headache and I can’t function without chocolate, ever, and walked into a Pharmacy.  They had all things that are good and handed the lady a $10 bill for a $4.15 transaction.  Sounds simple right, gimme my chocolate and let’s move on.  She stared, we stared and finally she said, you don’t have 85 cents?  Um, No.  More staring.  I have had beer though and this is freaking me out and I want my chocolate.  Finally, she starts peeling American and Cambodian money out of the register and we get a wod of cash.  Five $1 bills and 3400 Cambodian “dollars” of various denominations.  .85 cents, apparently = 3400 Cambodian Dollars, Holy Cow!  No coins available and such is the way of money in Siem Reap.

Oh and 90% of the stores and restaurants, cash only…No Credit Cards! I’ve fallen into a Points and Miles black hole…